ABC Renew/Cancel Week 21: Has The Bachelorette Handed Out Its Final Rose? + ABC Renew/Cancel March Madness Voting Continues!

It was a big week on ABC - or, rather, not on ABC. The network scrapped a planned season of The Bachelorette. Keep reading for my take on whether the situation will impact its franchise going forward. Plus, I take another look at RJ Decker, and ABC Renew/Cancel March Madness voting continues!

The Bachelorette Pulled Before Premiere Amid Abuse Allegations Against Lead Taylor Frankie Paul

ABC's midseason schedule will now have a large vacancy on it. Longtime staple The Bachelorette, which was set to premiere this Sunday, has now been pulled from the air. The decision comes amid reports that The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives paused production due to to a domestic abuse investigation tied to Taylor Frankie Paul, who stars on Mormon Wives and was set to be the lead on this season of The Bachelorette. ABC had proceeded with promotions for the new Bachelorette season, which included Paul appearing on talk shows and TV ads for the season, after the investigation was announced. However, advertisers began to back away, with Cinnabon dropping their planned ad partnership with the Bachelorette over the allegations. A video of an incident from 2023 that included Paul throwing a chair at her ex and seemingly hitting her child as well was released today. That dispute had been public knowledge since The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered, and it caused pushback against the Bachelorette producers when she was announced as the lead. However, the release of the video caused widespread outrage that has now led to the season being scrapped entirely. This decision means that the half-hour post-Oscars Bachelorette reunion special that aired last Sunday will be Paul's only appearance as a part of the Bachelor franchise to be aired on television. While the Bachelor franchise isn't any stranger to controversy, this is the first time an entire season of one of the franchise's series has been completely shelved. ABC has yet to announce what will air in The Bachelorette's place on Sundays this spring.

Tuesday TV Ratings 9/3/24: The Bachelorette Jumps to Season High for Finale, Beat Shazam and America’s Got Talent Down a Notch [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: ABC's The Bachelorette (0.46, +0.17) soared to a new season high on finale night, topping the night in the Adults 18-49 demographic in the process. The Quiz with Balls (0.27, +0.03) also enjoyed a finale bump on Fox, even as its Beat Shazam lead-in (0.21, -0.01) dipped. America's Got Talent (0.42, -0.01) inched down on NBC and led into a rerun of Password (0.19). CBS aired repeats of FBI (0.19), FBI: International (0.17), and FBI: Most Wanted (0.16). The CW went with another round of Conners (0.05/0.06/0.06/0.05). Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.

Tuesday TV Ratings 8/27/24: Lucky 13 Bombs in Special Airing, The Bachelorette Sinks, America’s Got Talent Rises [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: ABC's The Bachelorette (0.29, -0.10) lost a tenth for a special Tuesday airing, and Lucky 13 (0.14, -0.13) completely collapsed in its first non-Thursday episode. On NBC, America's Got Talent (0.43, +0.02) improved slightly when compared to last week's episode. Fox game shows Beat Shazam (0.22, +0.05) and The Quiz with Balls (0.24, +0.03) rebounded. CBS went with repeats of FBI (0.23), FBI: International (0.19), and FBI: Most Wanted (0.17). The CW aired encores of The Conners (0.05/0.05/0.06/0.07). Key: (R) = repeat.

Monday TV Ratings 8/26/24: The Bachelorette and WWE Raw Jump, American Ninja Warrior and Name That Tune Decline, WNBA Down from Last Fever Game [+ Analysis]

Ratings Analysis: The Bachelorette (0.39, +0.07) bounced back on ABC and led into a repeat of Celebrity Family Feud (0.19). NBC's American Ninja Warrior (0.29, -0.03) and The Wall (0.18, -0.04) both declined. Name That Tune (0.18, -0.01) shed a hundredth on Fox, but The 1% Club (0.24, 0.00) held even. All American: Homecoming (0.06, +0.01) picked up a hundredth on the CW, while 61st Street (0.02, -0.01) lost one. CBS went with reruns of NCIS (0.19), NCIS: Sydney (0.13), and NCIS: Hawai'i (0.12). Key: (R) = repeat.